Improvement in wagon-racks



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ATTORNEYS.

NPETERS. PHOTO LITHOGRAFHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. TALGOTT. Wagon-Rack Patentd April 15, 1879..

INVENTOR V w 2 g 3 M H I m Q w 01a ed a J n W 0 ATTORNEYS.

NPEIERS PHOTO-LITHOGRAPfiER, WASHINGTON, D C,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI TALCOTT, or MIN-ETTO,.NEWV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN WAGQN-RACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,471., dated April 15, 1879; application filed February 10, 1879.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, LEVI TALOOTT, of Minetto, in the county of Oswego and .State of New York, haveinvented'a new and Improved Convertible Wagon Body and Rack, of which the following is a specification.

. 'The object of this invention is to furnish a light and compact arrangement of the wagon body and rack, whereby theone can be transformed into the other quickly and easily when desired. a

The invention will be first described in connection with the drawings forming part of the specification, and then particularly ascertained in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top view of the improvement arranged as a wagon-body. Fig. 2 is a similarview of the rack. Fig. 3 is an end view, showing the arrangement of the wagon-body. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the rack, Fig. 2, on line w w; and Fig. 5 represents one of the temporary sides.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A A represent the bolsters of a wagon, and B is the floor of the wagon-body. O O are the sides of the body, and D D are the end-gates.

The sides are formed of two boards, a a, screwed to the cleats b, and between these two boards is placed a removable middle board, a, joining the other two by a dovetailed connection, so that it will remain in place when the sides are moved about, but can be readily taken from them when an open rack is desired.

The lower ends of cleats I) are formed into abutments c, the faces whereof are at acute angles to the sides.

The width of the bottom or floor B is such as to admit the sides between its edges and the standards (I, rising from the ends of the bolsters, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The tail boards or gates are held in place between the sides by pins 6 e (in dotted lines) on the ends of straps f f, fixed to the gates,

and entering holes in the wagon-bottom, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and by clasps E E, pivoted to the projecting ends of straps 9, fast ened to the top of the gates, and adapted to engage the hooked tongues h, projecting at right angles from the straps i, fixed to the end cleats I). These clasps,it will be observed, are rectangular frames with three sides. The open ends are engaged by the pivots, while from the opposite side j a handle projects.

When drawn down to fasten the gates and sides together, the hook on tongue h (the latter acts as a spring) engages the piece 7', and thus the clasp and the hook are closely connected, furnishing a firm and secure fastening for holding the gates and sides together.

F are temporary sides, employed in connection with the permanent sides to form the rack. They are provided with notches k k, which receive the bolsters and cleats Z Z, which bear against the cross-bar G G, connecting the two permanent sides 0 (J, and thus they are held against endwise slipping.

The edges of sides 0 and the ends of bars G are hinged together by eye-straps m m, attached, respectively, to sides and bars, and a pintle passed through them.

At the middle of the sides 0 are eye-straps p, and at the middle of the temporary or rack sidesFare similareye-straps 19. By means of a pintle, q, the sides F and O are hinged together when arranged as a rack. The eye-straps 11 are formed of two forks, which straddle the sides F, and the face of the abutment c in the middle cleat is provided with a slot or recess, 0, to receive the outer side of the fork when supporting the sides 0 to form the wings of the rack, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

H represents a ladder, used to support the front of the load on the rack when loose grainv It has on its.

0r hay is being transported. lower end a book, 1", which is entered into a slot, 8, in the bottom of the wagon by holding the ladder perpendicular, and then, by allowing it. to incline forward against the front cross-bar, G, the hook engages the under side of the slot, and thus the ladder is prevented from being drawn out.

The mannerof arranging these several parts so that they will form at one time a wagonbody and at another time a wagon-rack is as follows:

To form a wagon-body, the sides 0 are first placed with their lower edges on the bolster A,the cross-bars Gbein g outside of the bolster and flush with the same, and the cleats Z) outside the standards (1. Thesebearing, respectively, against the bolsters and cleats prevent the sides from slipping endwise. The bottom B is next laid on the bolsters, between sides 0 C, with its edges in contact therewith, and the end-gates are then placed in position and secured by clasps E, in the manner before described. The bottom 13 has three notches or recesses, t, in each edge, to receive the eyeclasps and pintles that project beyond the edges of the sides 0 when formed into awagonbody, as shown in Fig. 1, at a a. On the under side of the bottom B are fixed crosswise cleats t, which bear against the bolsters and prevent the bottom from slipping endwise. This forms a strong but light and easily-arranged wagon-body. (Shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3.)

To change it into a rack, the bottom B is taken out and the sides 0 lifted up or taken ofi' altogether. The bottom is then placed on the bolster again, and the temporary sides F inserted between its edges and the standards, with the cleats linside, the notches or recesses 70 entered over the bolsters, and their eye-straps 10 up. The sides G are then placed on top of sides F, with connecting cross-bars between the sides F, and with the middle eye-straps in line with each other, the single eye in strap attached to the sides F being placed between the double eyes of straps attached to sides 0. In this position they are secured together by pintles q. The sides (J are allowed to turn down until the abutments a bear against the sides F, and they are thus held at an angle of forty-five degrees, forming the wings of the rack, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The cross-bars G give rigidity to the rack, holding the sides F upright, and at the same time furnish a connection for the side or wings. The cleats lbearing against the cross-bars G, the notches 7c engaging the bolsters, andthe hinged connection with the sides 0 prevent the sides F from slipping out or becoming disarranged in any way. In this way the sides G, connected together by cross-bars G, when combined with the bottom B, form a wagon-body, and when the sides F are added it can be quickly and easily arranged as a rack, in the way above described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat: ent- 1. The combination, with the end-gates, of the straps f, having pins 6, the straps g, having pivoted three-sided clasps E, the straps 'i,

fixed at the ends of cleats b, elastic hook tongues h, and the handle j, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The hook r on the end of ladder H, adapted to enter the slot 8 in the wagon-bot tom, for the purpose of holding the ladder in place, substantially as described.

' LEVI TALOOTT.

' Witnesses:

L. V. S. MATTISON,

0. W. BARNES. 

